ECTS 2000: Hands On with EA's F1 2000

I think I last said this about the PC Engin Duo (Turbo Duo in America): What can't this system do? And after having seen EA's F1 2000 on Gameboy Color, it's clear that each time the Gameboy Color pushes past one supposed limit, it tackles another one just as quickly. Today's newest revelation: Gameboy Color does 3D.

F1 2000, according to the rep at EA, makes use of a fully independent 3D engine. I'm not sure what a "fully independent 3D engine" means, but the game manages to place you into the car better than I can remember getting on the old NES. The cars and tracks actually have a sorta polygonal look to them, which should be somewhat of a surprise for many. The framerate seems to be a bit on the low side, but it's more than passable, and I think gamers will be impressed to see such graphics on a decade old system.

Perhaps more interesting is that in bringing the game over from the PlayStation, EA has been able to retain all the features. There are three tracks selectable by default, although it seems that 17 can be unlocked in the end. You also have 11 teams and 22 drivers to choose from. You can race in three different modes, including a championship, which takes you through 17 full rounds of racing, a GP Weekend mode, which I didn't get to try out, and a quick race, which allows you to race on the course of your choice without sweating all the details found in the championship.

Best of all is the robustness of the driving model. The game features such options as tire wear and changing whether conditions, all of which can be set at the options menu. You feel a good sense of speed when driving, and manage to get that feeling of "OH $#!T" when you go into a turn too fast. Turning too hard will invariably result in a spin out, so expect to tap the break often (something that's easy to do with the Gameboy button layout).

The only real problem with the game is actually in this area of gameplay. The framerate often does make driving a bit difficult. It's primarily difficult when things come at you fast enough so that in one frame, they're far away, but the next frame they're right up in your face. I was able to adjust for this by being more cautious, making me think that my best times on a Dreamcast F1 game will end up being better than through this Gameboy game.

That problem aside, EA seems to have done a terrific job in bringing a complex PlayStation game to the Gameboy Color. I'm not sure if there's a huge audience for the title out there ¿ afterall, wouldn't the hard core F1 fans have bought a Dreamcast long ago considering the dream pairing of Video Systems and Ubi Soft? However, if you want a Formula 1 game on the go, here it is. Perhaps more importantly, Nintendo can brag that its old color portable does 3D, just like the big boys.

-- Anoop Gantayat wishes he hadn't sold his Gameboy and copy of Metroid way back when.